MenaRD just claimed his second consecutive Evolution Championship in Las Vegas, and with it, his fourth Evo title overall. The Dominican player is assembling a resume that puts him firmly in the conversation as the world's top Street Fighter 6 competitor right now. But the most intriguing subplot from his dominant run wasn't about his signature character at all, it was about the one he deliberately benched when it mattered most.
Throughout the tournament, MenaRD's Blanka looked nearly unstoppable. Yet in the two matches that would decide the entire event, he switched to M. Bison and stuck with it, at least initially. In Winners Semifinals, he started the matchup against Shigematsu with Bison, trading wins until the deciding game forced his hand. Only then did he pivot to Blanka to close out the round and send his opponent to the losers bracket.
The Grand Finals told a similar story. Shigematsu clawed his way through three opponents to earn his rematch, and once again MenaRD opened with Bison. Shigematsu reset the bracket 3-1, forcing the second set. Only at that point did MenaRD unleash Blanka, winning 3-0 to clinch the title.
The tactical reasoning behind the switch is straightforward, though it required some calculated risk. MenaRD knew Shigematsu was grinding alongside Takagi, another top-tier Blanka player from Japan. In his own preparation, MenaRD found that his Bison performed better against the Blanka players he was training against. He also suspected Shigematsu played with a different style, more aggressive and full of unorthodox tricks.
"Honestly, it was a matter of Shigematsu being a teammate with another top Blanka player from Japan called Takagi," MenaRD explained after the victory. "So I took that into account and I had confidence in my Bison after practice. And my Bison actually produced better results against the Blanka players that I practiced with. But I also had the suspicion that his style was a little bit different. A little more aggressive, and had a lot of tricks."
The strategy nearly paid off completely. After the tight Winners Semifinals bout, MenaRD felt confident enough in his Bison to test it again in Grand Finals. Since he was on the winners side, he could afford to lose a single set. Shigematsu's 3-1 victory in that first set, however, made it clear that adjustments were necessary. The switch to Blanka proved decisive, as MenaRD dismantled Shigematsu's offense in the final set without dropping a game.
MenaRD's recent dominance owes much to his relocation to Japan. He's currently competing in the Street Fighter League as part of the Zeta Division, training alongside top players like Momochi, Higuchi, and Yamaguchi. The daily exposure to world-class competition has sharpened his game considerably, giving him access to practice partners and tech that few competitors outside Japan can match.
Author Emily Chen: "MenaRD's willingness to play mind games with character selection in the biggest moments shows why he's on top right now, but Shigematsu's run through losers proved he's the closest threat to dethroning him."
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